A. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices used to support mailboxes or other roadside receptacles, and more particularly to an assembly of a flexible mailbox post and arm.
B. Description of Related Art
Conventional mailboxes and other roadside receptacles such as newspaper tubes are supported on rigid posts formed of a variety of materials, such as, steel or wood, with a laterally extending arm to position the mailbox close to the roadside for the convenience of delivery while placing the post at a safer distance from the road. Due to the usual placement of mailboxes in close proximity to roads, rigid mailbox posts are susceptible to being bent or broken on impact, frequently by motor vehicles. One solution to the problems caused by impacts is to build a stronger structure to house the mailbox, using metal, wood or masonry materials to form a structure that would suffer minimal damage when struck by a vehicle. This approach transfers the burden of damage from the mailbox to the vehicle, which causes a hazard to the human occupants of the vehicle and results in damage to the vehicle, which is frequently more valuable than the mailbox and supporting structure. The opposite approach is to make the mailbox relatively light and weak so as to allow it to break away easily on impact, which usually results in the destruction of the mailbox. What is needed is a means of supporting the usual residential mailbox that is durable and does not pose an unreasonable hazard for vehicles that might impact the mailbox.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a mailbox support that is economical to manufacture and convenient for use with normal residential mailboxes and that reduces or prevents damage to the mailbox and a vehicle impacting the mailbox.